Dry-cell-packing machine.



A. P. TUCKER.

DRY l(l1-:LL PACKING MAnlNE.

APPLICATION PILED MAYfZZ, 1911. 1,055,889. 1 Patented Mar.11,1913.

'l 65 0 a O o E o @f7/9%- SM A. P. TUCKER.

DRY CELL PACKING MACHINE.

, APPLICATION FILED MAY 22, 1911. 1,055,839. Patented Mar.11,1913.

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PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW 3?. TUCKER, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

DRY-CELL-PACKING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mal. 11, 1913.

Application filed May 22, 1911. Serial No. 628,870.

To alt ily/0m t may concern Be it known that I, AND1-:Ew I). TUCKER, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Cincinnati, county of Hamilton, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inl Dry-Cell- Ilacking Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines for pack ing electric dry cells.

An object of my invention is to provide a machine which will pack dry cells with less labor and greater speed than has been donc heretofore.

Another object of my invention is to provide a machine which will pack dry cells more evenly and with greater solidity.

A further object is to provide a machine which will pack dry cells to produce high ainperage.

A further object is to provide a machine which will locate and hold the carbon electrode centrally in the cell, while the cell is being packed.

In the drawings accompanying this application and forming a part hereof, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the machine. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is a partial longitudinal section taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1, upon an enlarged scale. Fig. 4 is a partial longitudinal section of the cross-head connection, but showing the parts in dierent relative positions. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the clamp used for holding the dry cell zinc casing, while packing.

The machine comprises a hollow reciprocating packing ram 11 and 14 surrounding a stationary carbon holder 59, rotating friction disks for lifting the ram and then re leasing it to permit it to drop by its gravity into the cell that is being filled, an automatic means for stopping the mechanism when the cell has been filled, and a starting mechanism.

The ram consists of a hollow spindle 11, having at the lower end a clamp 13, which is adapted to hold a removable hollow ram head 14. Spindle 11 is secured to a crosshead 12, adapted to reciprocate between guides 15 and 16, mounted on frame 10. Above the cross-head and secured thereto is a friction plate 17, which is provided with surfaces 1S and 19, against which rotating Jfriction disks 20 and 21 are adapted to bear intermittently, by having semi-circular enlargements 20L and 21a to contact with plate 17. The disks are mounted on shafts 22 and 23, which are journaled in bearings at the top of the frame. The two shafts are geared together by gear wheels 24 and 25. On the rear end of the shaft 22 is secured the large gear wheel 26. Meshed with this gear is a pinion 27, mounted on a shaft, which is journaled in bearings 28 and 29. To this shaft is also secured the driving pulley 30.

The mechanism used to start and stop the ram is as follows: A lever 31, pivotally mounted on a bracket 32, is provided with a boss 33. Through this boss passes a sliding pin 34, which is adapted to engage a pin 35, aflixed to disk 21. To arms 36 and 37 of the frame is secured a bar 38, which carries a sliding trigger 39, which is adapted to bear normally against the side 40 of a trigger plate 41, secured to cross-head 12, the trigger being held against the trigger plate by a spring 42. On the rear surface of the trigger is a pin 43, which engages a slot 44 in lever 31. The sliding pin 34 is operated by a lever 44a through link connections.

A table 45, upon which is mounted a clamp 46, for holding the Zinc casing of the dry cell, during the operation of packing it, is mounted adjustably in the frame 10. The clamp 46, Fig. 5, is so constructed as to have its two members 47 and 4S locked together, when the dry cell is being packed. This is accomplished by means of a U-shaped bar 49, pivotally mounted at both ends, on one member of the clamp. On the other clamp member is formed a rib 50, in the ends of which are secured pins 51 and 52. In the U-bar 49 are cut slots to engage the pins 51 and 52, when the two members are brought together and the U-bar is swung around to the locking position.

The adjustable table 45 may be raised or lowered by set screws 53 and 54, this adjustment being for the purpose of adjusting the height of the zinc casing 58, from the bottom of a feeding trough 55, from which the electrolyte 56 is fed, through an opening 57, the opening being made just large enough to permit the ram head 14 to pass. The trough is constructed preferably of wood or some other material which is not injured by the action of the electrolyte.

In order to properly place the carbon electrode in the cell and hold it firmly and centrally within the casing, and also to regula-te its distance away from the bottom of the casing, a rod 59 is placed within the hollow spindle ll. This rod is supported by an l.- bar 60, which slides in a guide slot 6l, in frame l0, and is adapted to be adjusted therein by a lever and pin 62 and 68. At the other end of the rod is detachably secured a tip 64, on which is hung, by a pin G5, the carbon electrode G6.

The removable ram head 14 and removable tip (i4 are for the purpose of renewing these parts, when they become eaten away by the action of the electrolyte, thus saving the expensive renewal of a complete ram and carbon holder.

The machine, when not in operation, has the ram raised and locked in that position by the trigger 39, projection 67 of which engages the underface of the trigger plate 41, whe-n the ram is raised high enough to allow the trigger to slip over and arrest the dropping moveinent of the ram. This position of the trigger and its operating lever 3l being shown in Fig. 4. In this inoperative position, the ram head is Iraised out of the opening 57 of the trough and enables the operator to ai'iix the carbon to the carbon holder and to locate it properly in relation to the rinc casing. He may now feed the first quantity of paste or mass containing the electrolyte into the cell casing, which has been previously secured in t-he clamp 4G. After this, lever 44Ct is moved upward to the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. l, this movement causing pin 34 to move through boss 33 on lever 3l, and to project upward in suoli a posit-ion, as to be engaged by pin 35, during the revolution of disk 2l. The continued revolution of disk 2l causes pin 35 to force lever 31 to a position shown in full lines, Fig. l. This movement of lever 3l in turn causing the trigger 39 to be withdrawn from under trigger plate 4l. The ram drops int-o the cell casing and packs some electrolyte into the casing and around the carbon electrode. .As the friction surfaces of disks 20 and 21 engage and disengage friction vplate 17, the ram alternately rises and drops. During the period the ram is rising, the operator feeds more electrolyte into the casing, and t-he ram again drops upon a fresh charge of electrolyte. This alternate feeding and packing operation is carried on until the cell is lled. As the cell is gradually lilled, the ram comes to rest, at each successive packing, in positions higher and higher within the cell casing. Hence, during the packing of a cell, each successive engagement of enlargements 20 and 2l is at a point on plate 1T nearer the ram, and as the ram is raised the same amount at eaeh successive engagement of the friction disks with plate 1T, by the time the cell has become completely packed, the trigger plate 4l will be raised, when the disks engage plate 1T, so that its lower edge is above lug (3T of the trigger, Vwhich is pulled over by spring 42, to a. positio-n under the trigger plate. This stops the rams movement- Since the packing ram is raised the same height above the material already packed in the casing, the blows of the ram will be of equal force, and the packing in the cell will be uniform. In order to stop the operating mechanism, a belt shifter (3S is j irmfided.

What I claim is:-

l. In a dry cell packing machine, a ram for packing the cell, means for operating the ram, and means for automatically stopping the operation of the ram, comprising a trigger plate secured to the ram and a trigger adapted to engage the trigger plate.

ln a dry cell packing machine, the combination off` a packing ram, a friction rod to the lower end of which the packing ram is secured, rotating cams engaging the friction rod and adapted intermittently to raise it and to release it to the action of gravity, and a means for arresting` the downward movement of the rod, which is put into operation by the rod at a predetermined point of its upward movement.

3. In a dry cell packing machine, the combination of a hollow packing ram having an elongated hollow stem witlra longitudinal slot in its side, a carbon holder, an arm engaging the carbmTcnl'rojeeting out through the slot in the stem, and a stationary support adjacent to the stem and an adjustable connection between the support and the arm whereby the position of the carbo-11 holder is regulated.

ANDRElV P. TUCKER. Vitnesses TV. A. BENNETT, J r., WALTER F. MURRAY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

